Lady&#39;s handbag



y 1951 J. GALLO LADYS HANDBAG Filed Aug. 15, 1949 INVENTOR. JOHN GA 1.1. 0

Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LADYS HANDBAG John Gallo, Newburg;h,; N. Y. Application August 15, 1949; ScrialNo. 110,419

This invention relates to a ladys handbag having amain and an auxiliary compartment and a drawer in the auxiliary compartment.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a ladys handbag, purse, underarm bag or the like which is partitioned into at least two compartments, one being a main compartment in which the usual contents of a handbag may be placed, and the other being an auxiliary compartment containing a slidable drawer and having its own closure, so that certain items, a such as money, cigarettes, and cosmetics may be carried in said handbagseparate and apart from the other items therein, and in a readily accessible location. It is well known that handbags may be divided into a plurality of compartments sion of a handbag of the character described which is of conventional appearance so that attention is not ordinarily drawn to it as constituting a unique or non-conventional contraption. The handbags of the prior art which are provided with the drawer facilities of the present invention are non-conventional in appearance, and some of them are even grotesque, so that their utility and usefulness to the average woman are seriously impaired.

A preferred form of this invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a front or face view of a handbagmade in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side orendv-iew thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, vertical sectionon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing thehandbag in closed" position and its drawer in fullyretracted posi-.

tion;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the lower compartment of the handbag in partly open position and the drawer in partly open position and-the drawer in partly advanced position;

Fig. 5 is still anothersimilar view showing the lower compartment completely open and the drawer in fully advanced position; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view through the leading edge of the cover-to said" lower compartment. g

5. Claims. (01. 150734) The handbag [0 which exemplifies the present invention and which is shown in the drawing comprises a bag or container ll, having a hingedcover l2 mounted thereon and. a carrying strap IS, an upper compartment I4 being provided at the top of the bagand a lower compartment l5- being provided at thebottomof the bag, a drawer [6 being removably mounted in said lower com partment and a hinged cover [1 comprising a closure with respect to said lower compartment. Hinged cover- 12 is shown only for illustrative purposes since the invention does not require that said cover be hinged, or that any cover, for that.

matter, be provided with respect to the upper compartment of thehandbag. Insofar as the present invention is concerned, it would sufiice if the handbag were so designed as to enable the front and back walls thereof to swing toward each other into closed position oraway from each other into open position. In other words, the styleof the handbag is totally unimportant to the present invention. Thus, for example, the carrying strap I 3 shown in the drawing, is also illustrative of the many kinds of carrying straps which may be used in connection with a handbag made in accordance with the present invention and, indeed, the total absence of a carrying strap would in no wise affect the present invention. Nor is the type of material of which the bag is made at all important. Any conventional handbag material, such as leather, simulated leather, or plastics may be used in connection with the present invention.

More specifically, the illustrative handbag shown in the drawing comprises a bag or container I I having afront wall 20, a back wall 2|,

two side walls22, and a bottom wall 23, hinged cover [2 constitutingthe top wall and hinged cover I! cooperating with front wall 25 in providing a front for the handbag. In other words, front wall 2|] extends across only part of the'front of the handbag and front cover I! extends across the rest of the front of the-handbag. The actualconstruction of the bag may best be seen in Figs.

. 3 and 6. It will there be seen that the bag has an outer skin or covering 30-and an inner lining 3|, the two being'sewn or otherwise fastened to each other to form a two-ply construction. The two-ply back wall 2| extends the full length of the hinged cover [1.

mined shape of the handbag mayberetainedl The cover [2 and the front wall 20, as well as the side walls 22 may also be made of the same or a similar two-ply construction. This, of course, is all a matter of choice and preference and not a matter of limitation insofar as the invention is concerned.

Upper compartment M is separated from lower compartment 15 by means of a partition or wall 35 which extends substantially horizontally across the inside of the handbag, approximately halfway between its upper and lower ends. Partition 35 is folded upwardly at its back end to form a third wall or ply 36 for the upper portion of the back wall of the handbag. At its forward edge, said partition is clinched by means of a U-shaped metal bar 3'! which is hingedly connected at the free ends of its legs to a second U-shaped bar 38, also at the free ends of its legs, by means of pins or rivets 39. More specifically, it is along the yoke of the U-shaped member 31 that the front edge of the partition member is clinched and it will also be noted that said yoke also clinches the lower edge of front wall 20. By the same token the yoke of U-shaped member 38 clinches the upper edge of cover l1. See Fig. 6. The legs of U-shaped member 37 engage and clinch the side walls 22 of the bag and the legs of U-shaped member '38 engage and clinch the side edges of said front cover IT. It will be understood from the foregoing that the two U-shaped members are of conventional channel stock used for similar purposes in conventional handbag construction. Thus, for example, similar U-shaped channel members 40 and M respectively are provided in cover I2 and in the bag H above described. Cam-type locking members 42 are provided on the two U-shaped channel members 31 and 38 and similar cam-type locking members 43 are provided on- U-shaped channel members 40 and 4|. It is by this means that the two cover members may be locked in closed position.

Drawer I6 is a slidably mounted, five-sided drawer which is open at the top. More specifically, it has a back wall 55, a front wall 5!, a bottom wall 52, and two side Walls 53. The back wall 50 is considerably taller than the front wall 5! so that the top edges of the two side walls slope downwardly from back to front. The bottom wall 52 of the compartment drawer normally rests upon the bottom wall 23 of the compartment. See Fig. 3, which shows the lower compartment l5 closed and the drawer in fully retracted position. Attached to the front upper corners of side walls 53 is a pair of pull strings 55. They are attached by means of rivets or other fastening members 56 to said side walls and they are attached at their opposite ends to the yoke of U-shaped channel member 38. It will be seen in Fig. 6 that the forward ends of the pull strings are clinched to the yoke of said U-shaped channel member 38 in the same manner as cover I1 is clinched thereto.

It will be observed from the foregoing that when the front cover I! is swung forwardly into open position, its pull strings 55 pull the drawer l6 forwardly from the position which it is shown to occupy in Fig. 3 to the position which it is shown to occupy in Fig. 5. Since the lining 3| of the bag is continuous along the bottom wall of compartment l5 and along cover ll, a clear and uninterrupted path or skidway is provided for the drawer. When it is desired to return the drawer to its retracted position and at the same time to close the front cover l'l, all that need be done is to swing said front cover backwardly to its closed position and it will thereby cam the drawer backwardly to its retracted position. Fig. 4 has above been described as showing the drawer in partly advanced position. But this is approximately the same position which it would occupy when it is partly retracted. Fig. 4, therefore, shows one of the camming positions of front cover member I! relative to the lower forward edge of the drawer. It will now be seen why the front wall of the drawer is so much shorter than the back wall and why the side walls thereof slope downwardly from rear to front. When the drawer is cammed backwardly from advanced to retracted position, its front end tilts upwardly, and were it not for the slope of the side walls and the lowness of the front wall, the front and sides of the drawer would engage the yoke of U-shaped channel member 37 and further movement of said drawer inwardly would thereby be blocked.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing is descriptive of only one preferred form of the invention and said preferred form may be modified in many ways within the broad scope of the invention. For example, pull strings 55 are merely illustrative of connecting links generally which may be used in connection with the present invention. A single band, for example, centered on the drawer and on the front cover or closure member would suflice for the purposes of the present invention in the place and stead of the two pull strings which are attached to the sides of the drawer in the drawing. Other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A handbag which is partitioned into upper and lower compartments, a closure solely for the lower compartment and a drawer slidably mounted in said lower compartment, a connecting link being provided between said drawer and said closure whereby the drawer is pulled into advanced position by the movement of said closure to open position, and whereby the drawer is cammed into retracted position by the movement of said closure to closed position.

2. A handbag which is partitioned into upper and lower compartments, a hinged closure being provided solely for the lower compartment, and a drawer slidably mounted in said lower compartment, a connecting link being provided between the front of said drawer and the hinged closure, whereby the drawer is pulled into advanced position by the movement of said hinged closure to open position, said hinged closure engaging the front of said drawer when it is swung backwardly to closed position to cam said drawer backwardly to retracted position.

3. A handbag in accordance with claim 2 wherein the bottom wall of the drawer rests on the bottom wall of the handbag, said bottom wall of the handbag being continuous with said closure to provide a continuous and uninterrupted skidway for the drawer when said closure is swung forwardly into open position.

4. A handbag in accordance with claim 2 wherein the drawer has a front wall, a back wall, two side walls and a bottom wall, said front wall being shorter than the back wall and the two edges of said side walls sloping downwardly from back to front.

5. A handbag in accordance with claim 2 wherein the connecting link between the drawer and the hinged closure comprises at least one 5 pull string which is connected at its back end to the upper front of the drawer and at its forward end to the leading edge of said hinged closure.

JOHN GALLO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1.220,957 Conway Mar. 27, 1917 Number 

